The Reign of the Saints

Jesus redeemed us by his sacrificial death and transformed us into “priests” who minister and participate in his messianic reign.

Jesus purchased men and women from every nation by his sacrificial death. Not only did Jesus conquer sin and death for them, but he also transformed his followers into a priestly kingdom. As members of this royal company, we bear witness to the nations and reign with Christ on the Earth.

We serve God and reign with Jesus as priests. We perform our priestly duties by testifying to the world, offering prayers for men and the sacrifice of praise, and by persevering in tribulation and the testimony of Jesus.

Every man and woman redeemed by the Lamb of God becomes a member of this priestly order. Unlike the Levitical priesthood, neither gender, family descent, nor ethnicity disqualifies anyone from the kingdom.

The self-presentation of Revelation must be taken seriously if we hope to understand John’s visions. John introduces himself as a partner with his audience in the kingdom of Jesus, and he does so in the present tense. Moreover, the book is addressed to the churches of Asia.

[Photo by Mike Lorusso (Greece) on Unsplash]

When John describes what Jesus has done by his death, he uses plural pronouns, referring to himself and the recipients of the Book of Revelation. Christ has cleansed us from sin and made us priests of the kingdom. Again, this is a present reality. Either that, or if we are not yet “priests” serving and reigning with Jesus, then our sins have not yet been cleansed by his shed blood.

The opening paragraph of the Book of Revelation presents Jesus as the “RULER OF THE KINGS OF THE EARTH” in the present tense. He qualified to reign from the throne of God through his obedience unto death, and God exalted Christ by raising him from the dead – (Compare Psalm 89:27, 37, Philippians 2:6-11, Revelation 1:17-18).

Jesus also “CLEANSED US FROM OUR SINS by his blood and MADE US A KINGDOM OF PRIESTS.” These words echo the Day of Atonement when the sins of Israel were cleansed. The passage also alludes to the ritual of installation when the sons of Aaron were consecrated as priests, and it recalls the covenant that God made with Israel at Mount Sinai– (Revelation 1:4-6. See Exodus 19:5-6, Leviticus 8:30, 10:3, 16:30 [“On this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you from all your sins”]. Compare Colossians 1:18, 1 Peter 2:5-10).

The Book of Revelation describes itself as the Word of God and the Testimony of Jesus Christ. Several times, the book links this theme to the mission of the saints - (Revelation 1:2, “John, who bore witness of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ”).

For example, John found himself on the isle of Patmos for this very reason, since he, too, is a member of Christ’s priestly kingdom:

• “I, John, your brother and fellow participant with you in the tribulation and kingdom and endurance in Jesus. I was on the isle called Patmos for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus” – (Revelation 1:9).

At Mount Sinai, God sanctified the nation of Israel to become his kingdom of priests and a light to the nations, a calling confirmed centuries later by the prophets:

• “Now, therefore, if you will obey my voice and keep my covenant, then you will be my own possession from among all peoples, for all the earth is mine. And you will be a kingdom of priests for me, and a holy nation” – (Exodus 19:5-6. Compare 1 Peter 2:5-10).

• “For behold, darkness will cover the earth, and gross darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. And nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising” - (Isaiah 60:2-3).

Israel failed to become the light to the nations. However, Jesus came to fulfill this mission, and he called his disciples to complete it under his supervision. The men of every nation who have been purchased by the blood of the Lamb have become his faithful priests and holy nation – (Isaiah 11:10, Matthew 12:18-21, Luke 24:46-49).

The seven churches of Asia are represented by seven lampstands. Not the lights themselves, but the lampstands on which the lit lamps are placed. The seven Asian congregations are light-bearers sent by Jesus to illuminate the nations and peoples with the Word of God and the Testimony of Jesus - (Revelation 1:19-20, 2:1. Compare Exodus 25:37, Isaiah 42:6, 49:6, Zechariah 4:2, Revelation 4:5).

Jesus is the high priest of the sanctuary. As such, he oversees his kingdom and its saints. Thus, for example, he rebukes the assembly of Ephesus for losing its zeal to testify about Jesus in the city. If the church does not repent and “do the first works,” he will remove its lampstand – (Revelation 2:5).

The church of Smyrna is about to undergo tribulation, but the saints who persevere even when death is the result will inherit the crown of life, and they will certainly not partake of the second death - (Revelation 2:10-11).

The church of Pergamos is praised for not denying Christ even when his faithful witness, Antipas, was slain for his testimony. In the Greek text, the phrase translated as “faithful witness” and applied to Antipas is the same label given to Jesus in Revelation 1:5. In his testimony and by his martyrdom, Antipas reflected the message and example of the Lamb – (See Revelation 2:13).

The congregation in Sardis has been less than faithful. Nevertheless, some members have not defiled their priestly robes. Therefore, they will walk with Jesus and be adorned in white garments, “for they are worthy” – (Revelation 3:4. See Leviticus 8:30, Revelation 7:14 [“And they washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb”]).

In Philadelphia, Jesus promises that overcoming saints will become pillars in the sanctuary of God, and he will inscribe the name of his God on them – (Revelation 3:12, 22:4).

At the conclusion of the seven letters, Jesus promises that the saints who persevere in witness and “overcome” the attacks and accusations of Satan will participate with him in his reign. However, they must overcome in the same manner that he did:

• “He that overcomes, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also overcame, and sat with my Father on his throne. He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the assemblies ” – (Revelation 3:21-22).

THE LAMB

In Chapter 5, Jesus is presented as the sacrificial Lamb. He is the messiah of Israel, but he fulfills that role by giving his life for humanity. It is the slain Lamb who is declared “worthy” to approach the throne, take the sealed scroll, and open its seven seals:

• “Behold, the LION FROM THE TRIBE OF JUDAH, the ROOT OF DAVID, has overcome to open the scroll and its seven seals. And I saw in the middle of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the middle of the elders, a Lamb standing, as though slain. <…> AND HE CAME and took the scroll out of the right hand of him that sat on the throne” - (Revelation 5:5-7. Note the verbal allusions to Genesis 49:9-10, Isaiah 11:1, 11:10, Daniel 7:13).

At this point in the narrative, Jesus begins to reign from the throne. He submitted to an unjust death to redeem mankind, and therefore, God has given him dominion over the nations and the Cosmos.

Furthermore, the sacrifice of the Lamb has transformed his saints into a kingdom of priests. They carry his testimony to the ends of the Earth, and this is how they reign with Christ:

• “And they sing a new song, saying, You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were sacrificed and purchased with your blood men from every tribe and TONGUE AND PEOPLE AND NATION for your God, and you made them a KINGDOM AND PRIESTS. And THEY ARE REIGNING UPON THE EARTH”- (Revelation 5:9-10. Compare Exodus 19:5-6 and see below).

• “Behold, there came with the clouds of heaven one like a son of man, and he came to the ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples and nations and tongues should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom that which will not be destroyed. <…> But the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even unto the ages of the ages. <…> And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Most High” – (Daniel 7:13-14, 18, 27).

The passage describes the reign of Christ’s priests using the present tense. They are reigning. The “one like a son of man” has approached the throne and obtained the kingdom for his saints. Thus, Jesus is now implementing the promise; first in his death and exaltation, and secondly in and through his church - (See Revelation 1:10-20 [“And in the midst of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man”]).

After his enthronement, the Lamb began to break the seven seals of the sealed scroll. When Jesus opened the fifth seal, John saw the souls of martyrs under the altar, saints who were slain because of “the word of God and the testimony which they held” – (Revelation 6:9-11).

The martyrs were given priestly garments and told to rest until the full complement of “witnesses” was assembled. In the ancient tabernacle of Israel, the remaining blood of sacrificial victims was poured out at the base of the altar of burnt offerings. This is why the souls of Christ’s witnesses were “under the altar.” The image points to the totality of their sacrifice for the testimony of Jesus – (Leviticus 4:7).

When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, an angel offered incense on the golden altar of incense located in the holy place of the tabernacle. The smoke of the incense ascended to God along with the prayers of the saints, the priests of his kingdom – (Revelation 8:3-4).

In Chapter 11, the two witnesses testify before the nations. They are called “lampstands” because they represent churches. They faithfully and boldly declare the Word of God “until they have finished their testimony.” Then they are killed by the Beast from the abyss. This is another image of the priests of Christ’s holy kingdom performing their priestly tasks despite any opposition - (Revelation 11:3-7).

In Chapter 12, the Dragon is expelled from the heavenly court following the enthronement of the Son. The allusion to the Second Psalm in Revelation 12:5 leaves no doubt about this son’s identity. He is the messiah who shepherds the nations. Satan no longer has direct access to the throne of God, no longer can he bring unchallenged legal charges against the saints – (See Psalm 2:6-9):

• “And I heard a great voice in heaven, saying, Now is come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ, for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by of the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony, and because they loved not their life unto death” – (Revelation 12:10-11).

Victorious saints defeat the Devil and overturn his accusations in the same way that Jesus did; namely, through faithful testimony and a willingness to persevere in testimony even when facing a death sentence. This is how the “priests” of Christ participate in his sovereignty and his reign over the Earth.

Expelled from the heavenly court, the Dragon becomes enraged. He knows that he only has a “short time” remaining to unleash destruction on the saints. And so, he departs to make war on the men who “keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus” – (Revelation 12:17. Compare Daniel 7:21, Revelation 11:7, 13:7).

REIGNING WITH JESUS

When evaluating the vision of Chapter 20, it is important to recognize the many verbal links to earlier sections of the Book of Revelation and consider whether we are seeing the same events, only now from different vantage points.

For example, Revelation 20:2 refers to “the dragon, the old serpent, who is the Devil and Satan,” the same phrase applied to this creature in Revelation 12:9, when Satan was expelled from the heavenly court following the enthronement of the messianic son (“And the great dragon was cast down, the old serpent, he that is called the Devil and Satan”).

In Chapter 20, the Dragon is released from the abyss for a short time, and he begins to gather the nations of the Earth for his final assault against the saints before his allotted time expires:

• “After this, he must be loosed for a short time. And I SAW THRONES AND THEY THAT SAT UPON THEM, and JUDGMENT WAS GIVEN FOR THEM. And I saw the souls of those who had been struck with the axe because of the testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and such as had not sworn allegiance to the beast or to his image, nor received the mark upon their forehead or upon their hand. And they lived and reigned with the Christ for a thousand years.  The rest of the dead lived not until the thousand years ended. This is the first resurrection. Happy and holy is he that has a part in the first resurrection. Upon these, the second death has no authority. But they will be priests of God and of the Christ, and they will reign with him for the thousand years”- (Revelation 20:4-6).

The “short time” in verse 3 is a verbal link to Revelation 12:12, where the Dragon was unleashed on the Earth for a short season.

Chapter 20 again alludes to the same passages used previously about the kingdom of priests and the receipt of the kingdom by the saints, Exodus 19:5-6 and Daniel 7:13-27.

As before, victorious saints who have overcome the Dragon and the Beast reign with Christ - (See Revelation 1:5-6, 5:11, 15:2-3 [“And I saw those who were victorious from the beast, and from his image, and from the number of his name, standing upon the sea of glass, having harps of God”]).

• “I beheld until thrones were placed, and one that was ancient of days sat. <…> I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints and prevailed against them, until the ancient of days came, and judgment was given for the saints of the Most High, and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom” – (Daniel 7:9, 7:21-22).

Just as occurred to the witnesses under the altar, the martyrs of Chapter 20 are killed because of their testimony and “the word of God,” and because they gave their allegiance to the Lamb rather than the Dragon. Therefore, they reign with Jesus. The declaration that the priests of the kingdom reigned with the Lamb was applied to the followers of Christ in the very first chapter of the Book - (See Revelation 1:5-6, 5:11, 6:9-11).

The thrones of verse 4 are occupied by the victorious saints, and this very thing was promised to the saints of Asia that persevere and thereby overcome the Devil - (Revelation 3:21 - “To him that overcomes, I will grant to sit with me on my throne”).

The ‘first resurrection’ means that victorious saints will not taste the ‘second death’. There is no mention of a second resurrection or a first death. The passage juxtaposes ‘first resurrection’ with ‘second death’, for every human being will participate in one or the other. By persevering in the testimony of Jesus and the Word of God, we avoid the second death, but not necessarily physical death.

Similarly, the members of the church of Smyrna who remain faithful unto death will not “be hurt by the second death.” As for the rest of the dead, they experience the second death at the final judgment. And so, they did not live “until the thousand years ended” - (Revelation 2:7-11, 11:15-19, 20:11-15, 21:8).

The priestly rule of the saints is paradoxical. They reign while persevering through persecution and even martyrdom - (Revelation 1:4-6, 2:27, 3:20-21, 5:5-7, 12:11).

The period of a thousand years represents the time between the coronation of the Lamb and the release of the Dragon when he will wage his final war against the saints. In the interim, the Devil persecutes the followers of Jesus, but he is not yet authorized to deceive the nations and thereby lead them in his last-ditch effort to annihilate the global church.

For now, overcoming believers reign with Christ by remaining faithful in testimony. And thus, they advance the kingdom of God and the sovereignty of Jesus across the earth.

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[Citations of Old Testament passages in this article are based on the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, the Septuagint (see the links here and here). Text printed in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS represents quotations and verbal allusions from the Old Testament. The Septuagint is represented by the Roman numeral for ‘seventy’ or LXX based on the Latin name of the translation, ‘Interpretatio septuaginta virorum’]

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SEE ALSO:

• The Age of Salvation - (The Gospel of the Kingdom announced by Jesus offers salvation and life to all men and women of every nation and people)

• His Witnesses - (The men purchased from every nation by the Lamb become his priestly witnesses who persevere in the Testimony of Jesus)

• Priestly Kingdom - (Disciples reign with Jesus as priests who render service in his Tabernacle and mediate his light and Word in the World)

• The Great Cosmic War - (Satan wars daily against the saints, and his efforts will culminate in one last desperate attempt to destroy the Church)